Dust collector



Nov. 6, 1951 R. A. PRINGLE 2,574,412

DUST COLLECTOR Filed 001;. 15, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Fig.

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Ray A Pring/e INVENTOR.

BY 2mm WWWFMI W Nov. 6, I951 R. A. PRINGLE 2,574,412

I V DUST COLLECTOR Filed Oct. 15, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 I I "/8 h! Roy A. Pr/ng/e INVENTOk.

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Patented Nov. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2- Claims.

The invention relates generally to cleaning equipment, and more particularly to an ambulant vacuum cleaner.

A primary object of this invention is to provide a vacuum cleaner suitable for mounting upon a vehicle and adapted for cleaning furnaces, furnace smoke pipes, various types of fines, air pipes, domestic hot water boilers and steam boilers, elevator pits, heating and ventilating equipment, small commercial heating appliances and the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cleaning machine which has a very high dust capacity for the size of the assembled machine, the machine having a chamber adapted to receive the dust collected in the perforate bags of the machine.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an ambulant machine in which the jarring of the machine in being transported from one location to another automatically serves to collect the dust into a lower portion of the chamber mentioned above, thus limiting the number of times the machine must be cleaned or emptied in performing a given number of cleaning jobs.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a vacuum cleaning machinein which the perforate bag portions are located on the top of a chamber which need not be greater in dimension than the rear portion of a conventional truck, the bags being inflatable upwardly so that these bags are not brought into contact with the ground or pavement and are easily preserved in dry condition and protected against injury, thus leading to a great increase in the useful life of the bags.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a large plurality of smaller bags which can be constructed much more economically than a single large bag of equal capacity, these small bags being of simple cylindrical shape and gathered at one end by cord means, and in this connection it should be carefully noted that the bags are individually replaceable thus decreasing the maintenance cost of the machine.

Another object, ancillary to some of the preceding objects, is to provide an ambulant cleaning machine which is very easily maneuverable and which can be stationed in a relatively small space ordinarily very close to the apparatus to be cleaned, thus making the machine considerably easier to operate than conventional machines and lessening the distance over which dust must he travelled from the apparatus being cleaned to the cleaning machine, it being thereby made feasible to carry sufiicient cleaner hose and pipes in a small compartment in the back of the truck whereon the vacuum cleaner is mounted.

And a last object to be specifically mentioned is to provide a vacuum cleaning machine which is relatively inexpensive and practicable to manufacture, which is extremely simple, safe, relatively simple and convenient to use, and which will give generally efficient and durable service.

With these objects definitely in View, together with other objects which will appear hereinafter as this description proceeds, this invention resides in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions as will be described in the specification, particularly pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a material part of this application, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a truck with this invention operatively applied thereon, the rear portion only of the truck being shown and a portion of the housing of the rotary air pump being broken away to show the underlying structure;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the structure shown in Figure 1 but with the right hand side portion of the truck and the said rotary air pump being removed, the figure being taken substantially on the line indicated in Figure 6 at 2-2, the cab portion of the truck being shown in side elevation;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view, taken on the line 33 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detailed vertical sectional view showing a portion of the chamber and a lower portion of one of the perforate bags and the means of connection thereof to the chamber;

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of a clamping ring used to hold a bag upon a neck portion of the said chamber; and

Figure 6 is a reduced top plan view, fragmentary in character, showing the arrangement of the bags on top of the dust collecting chamber, a portion of the conduit connecting the housing of the rotary air pump to the bed chamber, and a portion of the radiator of an internal combustion engine which may be used as a prime mover for the rotary air pump.

Similar characters of reference designate similar or identical elements and portions throughout the specification and throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be noted that the environment wherewith this invention is adapted to be used includes a motor vehicle of truck character which will include ordinarily a cab ill, a body frame l2, and ground contacting wheels 14.

This invention contemplates mounting on this truck a rotary pump, generally indicated by the numeral l6, and comprised of a drive shaft IS with a plurality of radial impeller vanes 29 and a housing 22, all of which may be conventional in design, the drawings illustrating vanes which are curved as illustrated in Figure l, and a housing which is substantially elliptical in shape with the drive shaft l8 positioned eccentrically of the housing so that a connecting channel 24 between the housing 22 and the chamber 25, is disposed at the top of the rotary air pump, the chamber 26 being preferably disposed to the rear of the rotary air pump with reference to the disposition of these elements on the motor truck.

Means to provide power to the drive shaft l8 may be of any suitable character, such as represented by the internal combustion engine 28, and it should be noted that when this invention is incorporated with the motor vehicle, the engine of said motor vehicle may be operatively linked with the rotary air pump. It is preferred that reduction gears and gear shift lever assembly should be operatively connected between the power means 28 and the drive shaft l8. In the drawings suitable braces 32 are illustrated as used to support the radiator of the internal combustion engine 28 and the upper portion of the rotary air pump, respectively, while the rotary air pump housing is primarily supported by angles 34 and laterally extending channel frame structure 36 mounted rigidly upon the frame [2 of the motor vehicle.

The chamber 26 is in two portions, that portion indicated by the numeral 25 having a sloping floor 38 inclined downwardly and forwardly toward a lower chamber 40. Both portions of these chambers extend preferably across the full transverse dimension of the frame of the motor vehicle, and the lower chamber is provided with a cleanout door 42.

The top wall 44 f the chamber 26 is apertured at a plurality of points and flange neck portions 46 are rigidly secured within the apertures, as best illustrated in Figure 4. A similar number of bags of flexible perforate material such as finely woven cloth are secured with the lower open ends 48 of each bag 50 inserted over the corresponding neck portions 46 and clamped thereto by split clamping rings 52, lugs 54 of these clamping rings being held together by bolts 56. Any suitable clamping means 58 may be used to connect the channel portion 24 to the adjacent portion of the chamber 26, this last-mentioned clamping means being held in place by a plurality of small bolts or rivets for permanent connection, if desired. It should be carefully noted that the neck portions 46 are substantially equal in cross sectional dimension with the lower portion of the bag 50, and that the upper end of the bag 58 may be simply tied by cord means 60, after being gathered as indicated at 62.

A compartment 64 is provided beneath the sloping floor 38 and the rear wall of the-lower compartment 40, while suitable upright members 68 and 88, together with braces are used to support the chamber 26 with the bag assemblies thereon, the lower ends of. these uprights being secured to the frame l2. The compartment 64 will ordinarily be utilized to store hose and pipes, illustrated at 12, for use in connecting the rotary air pump 58 with the apparatus to be cleaned.

The operation of this invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing description of the mechanical details thereof, taken in connection with the above recitation of the objects sought to be achieved by this invention. In recapitulation, it need only be added that the dust collected in the bag 50 will be periodically shaken into the chamber 26, and the vibration of the machine in being transported from one position to another will ordinarily suffice to move the dust into the lower chamber 40, wherefrom it will be cleaned from time to time. It will be clear that all of the objects noted are amply achieved by this invention and that this machine may be operated with utmost convenience and economy.

Minor variations may be made in the exact construction of details of this machine without departure from the spirit and scope thereof and the drawings are to be considered as illustrative rather than limiting. Accordingly the invention is to be limited only as determined by a proper interpretation of the subjoined claims.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. A suction cleaner comprising a centrifugal impeller mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis, a volute housing for the impeller having a laterally facing axial inlet and a rearwardly facing, horizontally disposed, tangential discharge immediately below its top wall, a casing permanently and directly connected to said discharge having a rearwardly extending dust receiving chamber and a downwardly extending dust collecting chamber at the forward end of the receiving chamber, said casing having a top wall extending over both of said chambers and having a plurality of flanged openings therein, said casing having a forwardly and downwardly sloping bottom wall constituting the bottom of said receiving chamber and leading to said collecting chamber, and a plurality of substantially cylindrical filter bags having their lower open ends secured to said flanged openings and their upper ends closed, whereby dust deposited on Said sloping bottom of said receiving chamber from said bags moves over said bottom to the collecting chamber.

2. A suction cleaner comprising a centrifugal impeller mounted for rotation on a horizontal axis, a volute housing for the impeller having a laterally facing axial inlet and a rearwardly facing, horizontally disposed, tangential discharge immediately below its top wall, a casing permanently and directly connected to said discharge, having a top wall extending rearwardly and laterally from the top wall of said housing and a vertical rear wall, a forwardly and downwardly sloping bottom wall section spaced below the top Wall and in part defining a dust receiving chamber, a vertical wall depending from the forward edge of said bottom wall section and in part defining a dust collecting chamber coextensive in width with the receiving chamber and constituting a downwardly extending continuation thereof, a front vertical wall closing the front ends of both of said chambers, side walls closing both or said chambers, and a second bottom wall sec-. tion closing the dust collecting chamber, the top wallof said casing having a plurality of flangedopenings therein, and a, corresponding plurality UNITED STATES PATENTS of substantially cylindrical filter bags having Number Name Date their lower open ends secured to said flanged 1798 911 Somers Mar 31 1931 openings and their upper ends gathered and 2010898 Ruemelm 1935 closed. 5 a

RAY A PRINGLE 2,283,836 WhIte May 19, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS REFERENCES CITED Number Country Date The following references are of record in the 520,838 Great Britain May 6, 1940 file of this patent: 10 

